RSM Richter Chamberland Summer Interns

Marianne Rudel-Tessier : Rewarding work and fun!!

As the weeks go by, the more I grow to love my experience as a summer intern at RSM Richter Chamberland. From the very start of the internship, I quickly got to know all the students with whom I would share this experience because of the many group activities organized for us. In addition, the training sessions were dynamic and everyone extremely friendly. I had the opportunity to meet several other firm members with whom I was going to work. Everyone seemed really willing to help.

And now, already two months of work have gone by! Time went by so fast because in addition to learning, I am having fun. I never feel isolated because I'm surrounded by people who are sharing the same experience and others who lived it in previous years. For my first mandate, I was given complex work to do and I learnt so much. My client was extremely friendly, which created a great working environment, and I was surrounded by seniors who taught me everything they could. Furthermore, since they had experienced internships themselves, they knew exactly how I felt during my first day on a client site. I felt free to ask all the questions I had. It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable with my tasks, and that I had known my team forever.

I feel right at home at RSM Richter Chamberland and every morning I look forward to joining my colleagues and friends to learn more!

Merlène Gladys Akamba: The dragon boat experience

Although I am a person who is generally not very comfortable on the water, I loved the dragon boating activity. It created a kind of harmony between the teammates and made us realize that each individual has a significant impact on the performance of the entire group. We had to communicate well in order to synchronize our movements and our physical endurance was also put to the test! Despite the two days of muscle pain that followed, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. The encouragement, confidence and dedication of the coaches enabled each of us to challenge ourselves and give our best. 

 

Sandra Judge: Cycle-Thon for the Foundation of Stars

I volunteered to be a cyclist in our cycle-thon at the tour de l’île, benefiting the Foundation of Stars. I started the day at 6:00 am in order to join the other interns at the starting line of the 52 km route. As I rode my bicycle up Parc avenue, I joined with the already hundreds of cyclists headed up towards Mount-Royal.

Somehow, I found other interns in the crowd of thousands of participants.  At the starting line the atmosphere was really upbeat, there was music, clowns and all different types of people— from more competitive cyclists to families. The real excitement began when the tour started. The city looked so different bicycling down the main streets blocked to traffic. Riding with hundreds of other cyclists I really felt as though I was part of something larger than myself.

As we passed through the different neighborhoods, people stood on the sidewalks and cheered us on. With the support of everyone at RSM Richter Chamberland we raised hundreds of dollars for the Foundation of Stars. It was a great day to get outside, get some exercise and help a good cause.

Adriana Hichioanu: 1,001 questions

After two weeks of training and a week of administrative work, I was sent to my first client. Even though we were very well prepared, I was still stressed and didn’t know what to expect. After meeting the entire team, I quickly felt more at ease. They were there for me every step of the way; they answered my 1,001 questions and did it with a smile. My first mandate was challenging and I loved it! There were so many things to balance at once: learning a new job, multitasking, meeting new people and finding the right technique to approaching a client whom I was not previously acquainted with. 

My second mandate was less stressful. I knew what to expect and was better prepared for the tasks that I had to accomplish. My 1,001 questions from the first mandate served a good purpose; I had learned more than I thought and I was more productive.

I couldn’t be happier with my internship; it exceeded my expectations and led me to meet an amazing group of people (both summer interns and employees). I can’t wait for the weeks to come!

Valérie Villeneuve: Butterflies in the stomach

After spending two weeks taking courses and getting to know the other summer students, it was time for us to get going and find out what would happen in the remaining ten weeks of our internship. Excited, I had imagined many scenarios: not understanding the task assigned to me, asking too many questions and, ultimately, being alone at my workstation simply not knowing where to start!

So on my first day, I showed up with a seemingly calm front and butterflies in my stomach, because unlike other students, I did not yet know what tasks would be assigned to me. I arrived early to settle down quietly at my workstation, and I sent a message to some colleagues to offer my help while I was waiting for news from the coordinator. Then I received a message telling me to go to see one of my managers.

When I arrived in her office, she explained to me what I should do and answered all my questions. They were not many since I had not started the job. Back at my workstation, the stress had vanished: now I had to concentrate on my work. At first, I was a little lost, but by taking my time, by going through the work performed previously regarding the file and, above all, by asking relevant questions to my manager, I could do the job properly. I made some mistakes, but I was unfazed, since I had never done this type of task before in my life! The next day, I came back more confident and ready to ask questions. After all, practice makes perfect!

Miriam Pratte: The open door policy really does exist!

Since my arrival, every employee I’ve met has welcomed me with enthusiasm,  then they smile at me when we bump into each other in the hallways and ask me how my summer is going. Each student is assigned a "buddy", a professional in the firm with a little more experience,  who also began his or her career here as summer student. I see my "buddy" as a resource to whom I can ask my 1000 questions without being afraid of bothering them.

Starting to work in a firm can be a bit scary, because this is our first step towards our future! However, I think here the objective is that everything goes well and that we spend a great summer while learning a lot about audit, consulting, tax, and any other field related to accounting.

We are also doing a lot of fundraising over the course of the summer. For one activity, we visited each floor of the office to help some of our colleagues who participated to the Tour de l’Île de Montréal, raise money for the Foundation of Stars. We were told by employees that it was a great idea. I was surprised to see that even if we disturbed them in their work, people were open and generous and willing to listen to us.

Anthony Colonna: My surprising internal stage in the marketing department

When I first logged into Pro-Staff (the firm’s Time entry system), I noticed that I had been scheduled to spend 2 weeks in the Marketing Department as part of my internship. Initially I was a little confused as to how working in the Marketing Department would be related to accounting and tried to find possible links to benefits for the accounting profession. Maybe I would learn how to market myself? However, I was very surprised, when I stepped into Tanja Gehring’s office, from the marketing department, to hear that I was given the responsibility to start up an entirely new project which would be of great importance to RSM Richter Chamberland when completed and very much accounting related. I learnt that the firm gets client referrals from banks and law firms, and vice versa. The outcome of my project would allow the firm to better understand their clients and their relationships with banks in particular. 

My project consisted of going through the financial statements of the firm’s clients and analyze their liabilities and to determine which banks they are doing business with. I would be building a database with this information. I was provided with the names of 4 audit managers who would be available to answer my questions, as many of the files were complex. They repeatedly answered my questions, gave me feedback and helped me ensure I was on the right track.

My time in the marketing department was a great experience and it gave me a strong base to learn the software essential for audits as well as being able to get to know some of RSM Richter Chamberland’s clients. Ultimately, what really made the experience interesting was that I was given the opportunity to be the first one to tackle the project and the firm trusted me to develop my system.

Michael D'Ornellas : Waking up excited to go to work

After two fun-filled weeks of amazing training with all the interns, I was off to spend a week at a client! Not only was I thinking of which tie to wear, how formally to speak, and how friendly the client would be, but I was both nervous and eager about making a good first impression. While we were all given tips on how to prepare for our first day, when the moment finally came, I had no idea what to expect. The one thing I can say for sure is that the experience blew any expectations that I might have had right out the window!

My team was wonderful, the client was pleasant, and I was in high spirits during the entire mandate. Any questions I had were quickly and thoroughly answered by my colleagues, and the client was more than approachable. I honestly don’t know whether it was easier to talk with my team or the client! On the second morning, when I woke up excited to go into work, I knew that that the rest of the week was going to be great.

Laurent Brunet-Schmidt: Week one in Wealth Management

My first workweek at the firm consisted of an internship in the Wealth Management department, which has seen its staff grow from 3 employees to 10 in 10 years, representing a 10% annual growth!

The team offers strategic services to high-net wort individuals and their families.  Under the supervision of a CFA, we prepared account statements and fine-tuned the database to include various tax information, like maximum contributions to an RRSP and allowable capital losses, in order to facilitate clients’ tax planning processes. This research gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with audit files and tax forms.

I find it interesting to familiarize myself with a new area related to accounting. I can’t wait to begin week 2!

Azzen Haji: Painting walls…and your colleagues????

Yesterday was RSM Richter Chamberland's Community Day. The interns were assigned to repaint the rooms and hallways of a rehab center in Laval. If you are worried about your painting skills, not to worry! Odds are, you'll have a neighbour who is much worse! No offence to my fellow co-workers:P
 
It was a very rewarding experience and I definitely feel like our work made a difference. Also, as if we weren’t already close enough, the experience provided us with some quality bonding time between the interns. The BBQ at the end of the day was a big bonus!
 
As a final note, a couple of warnings to aspiring interns: first, if you have an old pair of jeans that you are planning on throwing out, DON'T! They will come in handy on Community Day. A second and more important warning: if you are assigned to painting, keep an eye out for that intern who has finished painting his room and has now moved on to painting his colleagues! Anthony, that comment goes out directly to you!